Unit 7 Organisational Systems Security M2

M2 how data transmitted over a network can be protected by encryption.

Encryption is a method of converting normal information such as text, images and media into a format which is unintelligible unless you are in possession of the key that is the basis of the conversion. Public/private keys are keys that are mathematically related. The public key can be widely distributed, among employees for example, and is used to encrypt data. The private key can decrypt the data only a few authorised people have access to the private key.
For example, one user wanted to send some sensitive information to another user, the sender of the information would encrypt the data with the receiver’s public key, and once they have received the data they can decrypt it using their private key. 
Encryption should be used for sensitive information, things like emails etc. and helps keeps things confidential.

An advantage of encryption is that once the data has been encrypted it is secure so not as much security is needed on the system, however this can also be a disadvantage as a lot of people’s jobs will then revolve around making sure that the key for the encryption is secure

Handshaking is a process where two communication devices continuously agree a method of data communication.
Virus checking software will often run in the background of any system. It will scan each file as it is being opened for any fingerprints which match the virus definitions. It will also attempt to identify any suspicious activity from a program. If a virus is detected then the antivirus software should take care of it before it can cause any problems. Software to detect and get rid of viruses is of massive importance as a virus can gain access to important information and could corrupt it.
One of the ways to make sure the system is safe is to have passwords on everything, and very hard to guess passwords that have a mixture of upper and lower case, numbers, letters and punctuation. An incredibly insecure password would be 'password' or 'password1' however having 'pA$sw0Rd7' would be much more secure. It is a lot harder to remember however and having such difficult to remember passwords have led to employees writing their passwords down and leaving them on sticky notes right next to their computer, and if the building gets broken into then they automatically have access to everything. this is why it is vital that people remember their passwords and not write them down.
Encryption is a method of converting normal information such as text, images and media into a format which is unintelligible unless you are in possession of the key that is the basis of the conversion. Public/private keys are keys that are mathematically related. The public key can be widely distributed, among employees for example, and is used to encrypt data. The private key can decrypt the data and is kept secret.

Handshaking is process where two communication devices continuously agree a method of data communication.
Use of backups is also extremely important in case the information gets corrupted or accidentally deleted. 2 copies of the backup should be taken, one to leave on the premises for easy access if information is needed quickly and one to be kept off the premises in case there is a fire or something similar which would mean both the original  and the backup data would be destroyed. there are different types of backup and these are as follows;
Incremental Backups: Involves storing only changed data since the last backup of any type.
Differential Backups: Involves storing only changed data since the last full backup.
Redundancy: A  term in meaning duplication of information.
RIAD: Stands for redundant array of independent disks. It is used as a live backup mechanism with multiple hard disks maintaining multiple images of the data.
Mirroring: A backup server that ‘mirrors’ the processes and actions of the primary server fails. If the primary server fails, the backup server can take over without any downtime because it has mirrored the content of the primary server.
The tiers of recovery show what how prepared a company would be if all their information was wiped, these as follows;

Tier 0 – No off site data. Possibly no recovery. One power cut and all data is unsafe.

Tier 1 – Data backup with a no dark site. Backups are taken but no replacement location if system fails.

Tier 2 – Data backup with a dark site. Copies of data are taken and there is a centre available to transfer data.

Tier 3 – Electronic vaulting. Mirrored copies of the system state are continuously maintained.

Tier 4 - Point-In-Time copies. Remote copies of the data are the same as local data.

Tier 5 – Transaction integrity. The system ensures both copies are in tune with each other.

Tier 6 – Zero data loss. For fast systems, where a sudden fault, could result in some minor transactional data loss.

Tier 7 – Highly automated, business integrated solution. The system will do all the thinking for you.
Call Backs are used on dial up systems where network administrators can dial into a network and the network device will call them back. Carries a username and password to ensure that the channel is secure. It uses CHAP which stands for Challenge handshake authentication protocol.
A diskless network is very useful as it does not have a CD/DVD drive, USB ports or floppy disk drive. It stops users adding new devices such as USB sticks or CDs so data is not being stolen and it also stops data being easily transferred from a computer to a mobile storage device.
A firewall acts as a barrier between the computer and the internet, having a firewall makes it extremely hard for hackers and viruses to get onto the system. Firewalls are usually meant to stop malicious things from coming in but they can also be set up to prevent employees accessing dangerous sites or sending out information over email.